9 Worst Calorie Bombs at Chain Restaurants

For an average adult, the FDA recommends a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, with 20 to 35% of those calories coming from fat (that’s between 44 and 78 grams) and no more 7% coming from saturated fat (about 16 grams). You should also limit yourself to no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium and 25 grams of added sugar.

Tell that to The Cheesecake Factory.

The restaurant chain just had three of its dishes earn “Xtreme Eating Awards,” handed out annually by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit watchdog group that advocates for healthier foods for consumers. The awards, first handed out in 2007, (dis)honor chain restaurant menu items shockingly high in calories, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.

“All the winners this year make the 1,500-calorie winners in our previous reports look like diet foods,” says Paige Einstein, a registered dietitian with the CSPI. “You could bring home half your meal and still be overeating.”

Einstein surveyed nearly 200 chain restaurant menus. The nine “winners” all provide a day’s worth of calories (or very close to it), and a few of the picks contain more saturated fat or sugar than you should consume in an entire week.

So how did The Cheesecake Factory wind up on this list three times? “The menu is a minefield of calories and fat,” Einstein says. “It’s a challenge to walk about of there without having used a day’s worth of calories and a couple days’ worth of saturated fat. You could throw a dart at their menu and get something that’s very, very high in calories.”

Check out the stats for the winners:

The Cheesecake Factory: Bruléed French ToastPaige Einstein/CSPI

You’d probably never guess that these two smallish slices of French toast pack in five times more saturated fat than you should consume in an entire day. The secret ingredient? Custard—the bread’s soaked with it before being pan-fried.

The standard version of this burger clocks in at a belly-busting 1,390 calories. But at Red Robin, you can “Make it a Monster” by adding a second 6-ounce beef patty to your sandwich. Order a combo with a Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake (1,496 calories) and a side of Steak Fries (371 calories), and you’ve racked up enough calories for two days. And let’s not forget the unbelievable 205 grams of sugar—that’s the equivalent of 50 teaspoons.

This slab of St. Louis-style spare ribs clocks in at 1 1/2 pounds. The meal also comes with a choice of two sides and a cornbread muffin. Opting for the Famous fries and Wilbur beans shoots the fat content of this meal to 141.5 grams—more than double the amount you should consume in a day if you’re following a 2,000-calorie diet.

This combo platter comes with two enchiladas (one beef, one chicken), a beef taco (your choice of crispy or soft), a pork tamale, a chile relleno, rice, sweet corn tomalito, and your choice of two types of beans. At nearly 2,000 calories, it’s the equivalent of 11 crunchy tacos from Taco Bell. And that doesn’t even include the chips and salsa that come with every meal at Chevy’s.

This 9-inch deep-dish pizza features a super-thick crust and is topped with two types of cheese, chicken, bacon, and creamy ranch dressing. All that adds up to a day’s worth of calories and two times the sodium.

The Cheesecake Factory: Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted GarlicPaige Einstein/CSPI

At first glance, this Cheesecake Factory entrée doesn’t seem that bad: Bow-tie pasta is tossed with chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, pancetta, peas, and caramelized onions. But the portion is huge, and the creamy garlic and Parmesan sauce turns what could have been a lighter option into a total fat bomb.

Fish and chips. Coconut shrimp. Crab-stuffed shrimp. Any of those items would make a fattening meal on their own, but Joe’s Crab Shack takes gluttony to another level by serving them together on one platter. The dish is also served with hush puppies and creamy coleslaw.

Maggiano’s offers the option to order your massive 16-ounce steak “Contadina Style”—topped with two Italian sausages, crispy red potatoes, mushrooms, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, steak jus, and garlic butter. This meal could easily feed a family of four for dinner.

All nutrition information provided by restaurant websites, except for The Cheesecake Factory, which was furnished by the CSPI.—Christine Mattheis

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Be careful with generalizations. Not all Americans eat like this. I love the Cheesecake Factory Farfalle with Chicken. It’s probably my favorite dish of all time. However, I haven’t had it in over 4 years because most of us ARE responsible enough with our health and fitness.